Re: Re: Re: Re: Warning: Heresy!


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Posted by Wade on December 06, 2002 at 12:59:24:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Warning: Heresy! posted by Two Mindsets on December 06, 2002 at 09:49:28:

BINGO!!

But in this case there is an additional wrinkle. One of the problems that I saw at ALL of the larger TubaChristmas® events that I attended was that part of some local college sousaphone section would always treat the event as a classic "road trip". Each large event attracts about a dozen of these guys. Sometimes they are serious, even though tanked, and play as well as possible and pay attention. However, some show up so drunk that they just blat random sounds while giggling in the top rows. They do not watch and get ahead (or behind) by over a full beat. They never shut up when the conductor speaks. And nobody ever addresses this issue. Consequently, over the years more and more of this stuff goes on. TubaChristmas® has changed a lot in the last ten or so years. And I am not sure that the organizers are really aware of how much they have changed.

It comes down to the players involved and whether or not they want to play well, be attentive and have fun making music, or if they see it as merely see it as another reunion/party/hang. The latter has become common at the larger events: fun BEFORE music, rather than fun MAKING music.

Years ago, folks showed up to play, learn from Harvey (or whomever), make music, and have a great time trying to impress our audience with what the tuba and euphonium are able to do outside of the stereotypical oom-pah stuff. The point was to have a great time while showing off our instrumental abilities to the public. It was a needed venue for our instruments that was fun, but taken seriously nonetheless.

Nowadays, it has been debased from a warm and smooth ensemble under a fair amount of self-control to a large braying bass donkey. I maintain that the business aspect of the official TubaChristmas® franchise has turned the concerns to things other than the high quality that used to be achieved in the past. It is really sad that the conductor can't just tell the few drunks in the back row to shut up or leave. The little kids are always exposed to lots of swearing and quickly get confirmation that not paying attention is cool.

By having these events with well over 100 players, they get out of control in many ways. I took my entire private studio to an out-of-state event once and was embarrassed by it. The kids did not ask to return to this large event in a nearby state. So I, started my smaller and unofficial version here just for my studio. They had a lot more fun because they sounded better and played a bigger role in the final product. I have not done my thing here in years as we now have an industrious Band Director that puts on an official TubaChristmas® here in Jackson. It is quite good and under control (i.e. - no wasted sousaphonists in the back row, no random blatting, everyone watching and listening, etc.).

Would that they all were that way.

Wade



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